Fire breaks out at Greek migrant camp and forces evacuation
19 September 2021, 22:44
A fire has broken out at a soon-to-be-closed migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos, forcing its evacuation. No injuries or major damage were reported.Authorities said the fire started in some abandoned buildings inside the camp and had been brought under control. The evacuation of the 550 migrants to an empty plot near the camp’s entrance was under way.Ten unaccompanied minors were to be moved overnight to a new facility on the island. The transfer of all the migrants to the new 43 million euro facility had been scheduled to begin on Monday and be completed by Wednesday.The existing camp once housed up to 7,500 migrants in squalid conditions, as Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis admitted on Saturday when he opened the new camp.
A fire has broken out at a soon-to-be-closed migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos, forcing its evacuation.
No injuries or major damage were reported.
Authorities said the fire started in some abandoned buildings inside the camp and had been brought under control.
The evacuation of the 550 migrants to an empty plot near the camp’s entrance was under way.
Ten unaccompanied minors were to be moved overnight to a new facility on the island.
The transfer of all the migrants to the new 43 million euro facility had been scheduled to begin on Monday and be completed by Wednesday.
The existing camp once housed up to 7,500 migrants in squalid conditions, as Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarakis admitted on Saturday when he opened the new camp.
